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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

2007
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 57m
Needing extra cash, two brothers conspire to pull off the perfect, victimless crime. No guns, no violence, no problem. But when an accomplice ignores the rules and crosses the line, his actions trigger a series of events in which no one is left unscathed. (imdb)
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Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

2007
Drama, Suspense/Thriller
1h 57m
Your probable score
Avg Percentile 56.46% from 3015 total ratings

Ratings & Reviews

(3015)
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Rated 28 Aug 2008
65
37th
The story is not very original and the narrative style just does not fit to the story. Skipping between different events and times just does not make a good movie by itself. And Hoffman alone cannot make this movie better than it is. Anyways, it is still a nice movie but not one to remember for ages...
Rated 19 Jan 2010
80
90th
Right off the bat we get a sweaty PSH sex scene, and it just gets more and more harrowing.
Rated 23 Dec 2007
74
68th
Another "mistake sends things spiraling out of control until terribly depressing ending" kind of movie. Pretty damn bleak. Honestly, there's nothing terrifically original about it, but the performaces are just so damn good that this will stick with you for a bit longer than you expect it to. Congrats to Lumet for making another great movie.
Rated 04 Mar 2008
79
46th
It's ok. For a guy that's been making movies for 50 years, it seemed a little student-film-ish to me. The achronological narrative didn't really add much to the story, and it was slightly predictable. It just seems to adhere to a lot of conventions of the genre. Performances are good though, except Marisa Tomei.
Rated 08 Jun 2008
59
39th
Weak script.
Rated 09 May 2010
80
74th
Gak, what a lame title (sounds like some release circa 1970). Anyway, I will definitely not be attending any Thanksgiving dinners with these folks! lol. Interestingly convoluted structure (like the layers of an onion), and I think it worked (sort of reinforcing the horror of it all). Hawke btw looks like some Freddy Mercury lounge lizard in his disguise. Hoffman is great throughout (in a most unsympathetic role...but then, what is a sympathetic role here?!...slim pickings indeed).
Rated 12 Apr 2013
78
80th
Opens with PSH going for it doggy-style and just gets better from there. It's tense, fraught and foreboding, and typically of Lumet it's impeccably put together; from every meticulously planned shot to the superb musical score. PSH, Hawke and Tomei are all excellent, and Michael Shannon's all too brief performance is absolutely fantastic. It is a little too dry and labours through some parts of the storyline at times, but is nonetheless a fitting end to Lumet's legacy.
Rated 11 Jan 2014
65
46th
It's quite fascinating to witness how things spiral out of control in this effectively crafted thriller and the strong performances certainly help. But the film just couldn't rise above its generic trappings and labored melodrama. Marisa Tomei gets a particularly thankless throwaway role as the bored unhappy wife. To come to think of it, perhaps a strong female presence or perspective would have helped add heft to the proceedings.
Rated 12 May 2014
23
22nd
There's no reason for the flashback/forward shenanigans: there's no insight or twist to it.
Rated 16 Nov 2007
80
88th
Though it starts out slow, from the middle onwards, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead picks up and hooks you in. It's a brilliant character study and really a quite depressing look at humanity and its follies. Watch it for the suspense, but appreciate it for the stellar performances, especially those of Hoffman and Finney.
Rated 04 Dec 2007
70
35th
Hoffman is great as usual, I just wish the screenwriter would've gave him more to work with. The story is a good idea. I just found myself checking my watch too often.
Rated 19 Jan 2008
90
93rd
Sidney Lumet, at 83, a master-artist has crafted one of the most efficient, proficient and deeply effective thrillers of 2007. Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke provide amazing performances in a film that feels as throat-tightening as the similarly-themed "A Simple Plan." I thought this film was just about as great. It's one tense powerhouse of a ride, and Lumet has a nearly flawless feature here - one of the best of 2007.
Rated 03 Feb 2008
84
52nd
A script that had potential , but i wasn't satisfied after the movie. Just didn't connect to the characters and expected more of this film. Flashbacks could have been done better. But keeps getting better and better towards the end.
Rated 18 Mar 2008
56
26th
A good but not great effort from Sidney Lumet. Hoffman is, as usual, amazing, but Ethan Hawke seemed a little miscast, and the characters were unlikeable in general, which really hurts its rewatchability, and the fragmented story-telling doesn't add nearly as much as it could have.
Rated 24 Apr 2008
70
61st
Meh. Same-old, same-old. The performances are good but not anyone's best, and those stupid transitions are probably the cheesiest editing choice they could have made.
Rated 08 May 2008
40
19th
Inexplicably and somewhat frustratingly overrated. A below-average thriller.
Rated 26 May 2008
78
56th
Certainly the content here is bleak but it does not get much done that other movies haven't done better before it. Mistakes spiraling out of control is a pretty common theme in movies today, and this one does it all well and good, just nothing spectacular. It's a highly recommendable movie to people who like the sort of study about characters with miserable existences. I did like this overall, and think it's an inarguably well made movie; it's just nothing out of the ordinary.
Rated 13 Oct 2008
75
63rd
Great construction of a de-construction. The performances are uniformly superb and the naturalistic feel to it adds up to the interest.
Rated 15 Nov 2008
85
80th
A extremely tense well made movie. Very layered and deep and even has characters you give a shit about.
Rated 11 Dec 2008
92
97th
This is probably one of the most powerful showcases of storytelling I've seen in years. What initially looks to be an ordinary heist movie quickly turns into a hyper-realistic drama. And the at first boring one-dimensional characters emerge as deep, yet fundamentally flawed human beings. Had the film not been paced in a down-the-rabbit-hole kind of way, the impact may have been less intense. But as it is now, it's mind-blowing.
Rated 04 Mar 2009
95
89th
Even if I only saw the first thirty seconds of this film, I'd have to give it at least a 93. Philip Seymore Hoffman is magnificent and the plot is pretty original.
Rated 23 Mar 2009
88
91st
Wow. The whole storyline for this movie is just plain sick (and that's a good thing). PSH awesome as usual. Tomei is great at what she does (take that how you want to). I love the way they cut this film and how they kept going back to give you the storylines of each character. Awesome job by Lunet. What made this better for me was that I had no expectations for the film and didn't even know what it was about, so I was blown away multiple times by the twists Lumet throws at you.
Rated 30 Jul 2011
68
25th
Superb, absolutely amazing acting. However, the script kind of lacks in any real splendor. Dark as it is, while still taking some great turns, it feels a bit lackluster in the end, with some loose ends that are never resolved. The non-linear structure also didn't feel necessary by any means. Easily could have been reworked to be linear and done without the annoying time jumps.
Rated 24 May 2012
84
77th
The non-linear narrative unnecessarily muddles the plot, which turns out to be ok because the film is much more about the characters than the plot. It was more stylized than the other Lumet films I've seen, not a good or a bad thing, just something to note if you go in expecting something.
Rated 08 Aug 2013
87
85th
People are evil; they make bad choices constantly. The message here is that you have to live with these choices, no matter what; something that Hoffman's character can't handle. And with his performance here, this really carries over to the viewer. And with the great acting put in by the rest of the crew, it makes for a stunning, and very grim, film. My only gripe is the non-linear narrative which is a bit hard to swallow at first but luckily, impeccable directing makes up for that in the end.
Rated 06 Mar 2015
80
80th
For all of its acclaim of being a return to form for renowned suspense director Sidney Lumet, Before the Devil Knows You're Dead is much more than that, like many of the director's greatest films. This is superficially a well-done but archetypal crime-gone-wrong thriller, but its greater strength comes from the genuine familial drama at its core that gives weight to the crime - the very same thing crushing it. Rarely does a crime thriller evoke such sympathy. This is more of a modern tragedy.
Rated 04 Nov 2007
90
86th
Sidney Lumet, now 83, decides to do a Tarantino-style heist movie. He doesn't beat QT at his own game, but he sure as hell proves that old-school filmmakers still pack a big wallop
Rated 24 Nov 2007
73
52nd
This film has great performances and it has a nice cynical edge to it. It does sag in parts, though.
Rated 02 Dec 2007
48
20th
Good idea, poorly executed. Bad direction, some bad acting (Marisa Tomei, obviously), and really bizarre plot devices that made an otherwise simple, well done movie needlessly complex.
Rated 27 Dec 2007
80
83rd
Nicely built drama around one robbery and what it does to a family. Great performances by the whole cast.
Rated 04 Jan 2008
80
91st
A year after Scorsese went back to making an excellent gritty crime thriller, an even higher master, Sidney Lumet, does so too, and with a vengeance. In a broad perspective, the story is mundane and unremarkable. The goodness is all in the details. It's tremendously well directed, flawlessly acted, really bothers and disturbs the crap out of you, and shows you Tomei naked. Surely the zestiest film ever made by an 83 year old. Only the soundtrack sucks.
Rated 04 Jan 2008
8
82nd
50 years after 12 Angry Men and Lumet has still got it. Elevated by some great performances and really impressive editing this is an interesting look at desperation and people who have everything to lose.
Rated 05 Jan 2008
70
62nd
Who doesn't want to see Philip Seymour Hoffman fucking Marisa Tomei?
Rated 25 Jan 2008
80
62nd
If you think your life is horrible...think again. Crime doesn't pay people! IT. DO. NOT. PAY.
Rated 03 Feb 2008
90
97th
This movie is a veritable buffet of great performances. The story material allows each character to have a moment to shine and the acting is dead-on. Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, and Albert Finney are phenomenal as the male members of a luckless family. The movie is affecting and makes a strong impression.
Rated 23 Feb 2008
74
72nd
Interesting output of a non linear storytelling. Hoffman and Finney do they best, though there is not much of character development. The plot then again in choronological order is pretty lame. Movie loses it's touch towards the end. But we all know *where* Hoffman is in the very beginning of the movie.
Rated 25 Feb 2008
85
82nd
p. cool
Rated 15 Mar 2008
81
64th
A pretty good story about how crime doesn't pay. Like in most movies with situations that spiral out of control there are points where you find yourself wanting to just grab the characters and make them stop before they make things worse. It's frustrating but on the whole pretty well made with solid performances. The editing choices make it feel somewhat fresh and let the film develop in a different way.
Rated 08 Apr 2008
88
77th
A snow ball effect of mistakes ending in a tumultuous rip tide of events. This movie was brilliantly directed as well as the acting was amazing.
Rated 19 Apr 2008
85
70th
As much as I enjoyed the acting overall, yes, it did slow down needlessly at times.
Rated 25 Apr 2008
6
70th
An entertainingly nasty little piece of work, and you've gotta fuckin' root for an 83-year-old director who directed 12 Angry Men fifty god damn years ago making a bleak drama-thriller with gun murders and drugs and heists and profanity and fucking. Rock on, Sidney Lumet. Also, Marisa Tomei's tits.
Rated 26 Apr 2008
55
25th
Yet another film that mixes up its chronology and considers it style instead of an unnecessary plot contrivance. It was schlock directing in Pulp Fiction and still is here. At least Memento had a reason for doing it but that's the rare case; directors need to stop falling back on this crutch when their plot isn't interesting enough.
Rated 03 May 2008
80
58th
Well acted, but movie was flat....unlike Tomei's chest, which you see a few times in this film. Hoffman I could have done without seeing naked.
Rated 09 May 2008
80
95th
Excellent.
Rated 13 May 2008
85
60th
Falls apart at times, shines for stretches, and tells an interesting story in a unique but occasionally frustrating fashion. Not Lumet's best, but then how much really is?
Rated 20 May 2008
83
79th
Sidney Lumet creates a great mood with suitably nonlinear narration. The main acting trio keeps the movie together all the way with good performances.
Rated 25 May 2008
72
61st
Quite a simple plot which Lumet tries to make look more complex than it is with the trick of telling it in flashbacks. But it's not so much about the plot - you want to see the film because of the performances by Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
40
20th
Hoffman is good. Beautiful images. Excellent score. Nothing else redeemable about this movie.
Rated 14 Jul 2008
85
78th
PSH is arguably the best actor alive today, and maybe the most under rated. He really shows that in this film. The scene in the car where he breaks down and freaks out was GREAT. good movie and a solid story.
Rated 16 Jul 2008
40
8th
While the film was well-directed (see, for instance, the clever 360 shot the first time Hoffman enters his dealer's loft), it left me cold. I found the jumpy editing more distracting than helpful, particularly since the film is broadly chronological anyway. And I guess I have a hard time getting enthusiastic about a film which seems to have nothing more to say than, "People suck," as if that's all that interesting.
Rated 26 Jul 2008
74
85th
good movie
Rated 07 Aug 2008
5
2nd
yup, worse than snakes on a plane
Rated 15 Aug 2008
85
93rd
This movie came out of nowhere and knocked my socks off. Everyone delivers an incredible performance, and the movie shifts so quickly from dark comedy to shocking violence that the audience is frequently left breathless. PSH is phenomenal in this, as usual, and Ethan Hawke proves once again that he's far from a Hollywood pretty-boy. My one complaint is the vagueness of the ending, where Hawke and Tomei's characters get no resolution.
Rated 07 Sep 2008
80
88th
While certainly not his best, Sidney Lumet proves that he can still pull a punch even at age of 84. Kudos to him for that! The cleverly interleaved flashbacks and flash-forwards allows for some solid character development and explores each scene and character from multiple angles and viewpoints. Certainly one of the better movies of 2007.
Rated 18 Sep 2008
71
45th
Good, but not quite there. It feels a bit streched from time to time.
Rated 26 Oct 2008
78
53rd
See what KlausGlenski and buggmoo said about this movie. I totally agree with both of them. But Klaus is little bit more right :)
Rated 27 Oct 2008
90
94th
Excellent performances, I was nervous, such as actors. A drama full of suspense, a perfect plan, that get out disastrous.
Rated 20 Dec 2008
80
41st
not much happy about this film or people.
Rated 25 Dec 2008
72
67th
Average "crime and punishment"-plot but great performances, especially Albert Finney is memorable.
Rated 27 Dec 2008
94
95th
Superbly acted all around, this dramatic story of family events gone horribly wrong feels very eerily realistic.
Rated 03 Jan 2009
50
46th
I wouldn't deny calling 'Before the Devil Knows You're Dead' a good movie, but by the films end, every charachter becomes to dark and over the top. I don't really care about the charachters and the ending just brings about a sigh of release rather than any real emotion.
Rated 11 Jan 2009
45
9th
Massively overrated
Rated 22 Jan 2009
72
51st
Hey, this was good. It had a grim "heist-gone-wrong" feel to it that felt very Coen Brothers-esque (also I'm sure this is helped by the fact that the musical score is by the guy who scored literally every Coen film, all the way back to Blood Simple). Hoffman and Hawke are quite good in this, they play off each other very well.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
55
6th
Retards robbing their own parents.. Overrated.
Rated 31 Jan 2009
75
80th
You know those movies where you just wish you could jump through the screen to stop people from spiralling down a path of one horrible mistake after another? This is one of those, and painfully believable.
Rated 18 Feb 2009
74
60th
Hoffman is just a damn entertaining actor, but he overacts a little in this (so does the usually solid Ethan Hawke). A few ridiculous and unrealistic bits but otherwise this is pretty good entertainment.
Rated 20 Feb 2009
1
9th
Good Photography, Good acting, but nothing in the story that makes me interested or even care about the characters.
Rated 27 Feb 2009
60
9th
This wasn't a bad movie, but it certainly wasn't the movie for me. One of the most depressing films I've ever seen.
Rated 24 Mar 2009
95
93rd
Really gripping, a fantastic film from Mr. Lumet. Highly recommended.
Rated 08 May 2009
100
73rd
Definitely recommended. A very interesting picture.
Rated 10 Jun 2009
77
85th
PSH is great, Marissa Tomei's body likewise, and Ethan Hawke's not bad either. Tragic tale of how things can go really wrong.
Rated 06 Jul 2009
65
15th
Each character is completely contemptible.
Rated 28 Jul 2009
28
18th
I can't believe so much talent was wasted on this boring, generic heap of crap. I don't know what else to say. Every aspect of the film is subpar, it's got the plodding pace and jumbled plotline of an art film with none of the art.
Rated 28 Jul 2009
86
81st
While not without a couple flaws, the fact that at 83 years of age, Sidney Lumet can still deliever a film of such energy and relevancy is incredible. Could be Hoffman's best work to date. He performance is absolutely wrenching. Reminds me of some of the stuff Lumet and Pacino used to pump out.
Rated 18 Oct 2009
61
62nd
One of those films that throws in a few seemingly unconnected scenes at first, and the rest of the movie is spent to untangle all that mess. As most thrillers with non-linear narrative it gets obvious around the middle. We know the result, we know how the characters reached that result. All is left is same story from different perspectives. Hoffman is great as always. He alone makes this slightly tedious thriller worth seeing.
Rated 07 Nov 2009
77
53rd
A never-ending downhill struggle that never left my knuckles any other color than white. Hoffman and Hawke make an absolutely mind blowing combination with some of their best performances to date. A must see.
Rated 22 Nov 2009
77
89th
Great direction in a movie that keeps pulling you along.
Rated 13 Dec 2009
94
91st
There aren't many more internally fucked up situations than this.
Rated 04 Jan 2010
75
55th
Definately left of center and in the "different" catagory. Great performances.
Rated 14 Jan 2010
85
76th
A fantastic slice of melodrama where you're consistently left wondering to what depths the situation will worsen. If you can make it through the Philip Seymour Hoffman sex scene at the beginning, you're in for a great film.
Rated 31 Mar 2010
83
90th
Good role play, no unnecessary dialogs/speeches, balanced, with pretty good written story. I would say it may be boring for some people but me myself - I enjoyed it regardless of being after eight hours of late shift work, watching it between 1am-3am - didn't get a blink of an eye. Kind of no-action movies you wanna see sometimes in exchange ;)
Rated 08 Apr 2010
80
84th
Marisa Tomei, my goodness. Good film, too.
Rated 28 May 2010
56
52nd
Nothing special. Unintentionally funny at times though, reminded me of Fargo at certain points.
Rated 04 Aug 2010
81
86th
A late return to form for Lumet. A taut, bleak thriller with compelling performances and some very unsettling things to say about the results of poor parenting.
Rated 08 Aug 2010
33
30th
#10#, reviews, story, casting.
Rated 29 Aug 2010
79
52nd
Not a fantastic movie but everything is somehow above ok. Story and directory aren't outstanding but acting and some scenes makes this movie a good one.
Rated 10 Sep 2010
74
53rd
A fatalistic noir tale about the downfall of a family. Fabulous acting by Hoffman.
Rated 29 Sep 2010
100
94th
great.
Rated 28 Nov 2010
50
44th
was ok, the story split in parts with tons of flashbacks and -forwards wasnt really my cup of tea
Rated 02 Jan 2011
70
57th
The movie has its highs and lows. It has simple story but movie goes backwards and forwards in time. The movie falls short when one thinks of the story in order. The performance by the actors alone cannot make this movie a good one. It is entertaining but does not fit in the category of a great movie. Over all a decent watch.
Rated 10 Jan 2011
1
0th
Lumet tries getting back to the outrageous satirical mode of Network and Just Tell Me What You Want, but this family dysfunction story fails the classic requirements of social critique.
Rated 16 Jan 2011
80
41st
Probably one the best movie titles ever. Too bad the movie wasn't as good. It was ok, but not what i'd hoped it would be. All star cast though.
Rated 13 Mar 2011
55
31st
Bleaksville. Only seen this and Dog Day Afernoon from the director... this film was a bummer.
Rated 02 Apr 2011
70
38th
Thoroughly well crafted, and well told, but at the same time bleak and unmoving. You know exactly where this film is going from very early on, and where it's going is deep into the pit of human existence. There's not much worth seeing along the way, unfortunately.
Rated 13 Apr 2011
85
93rd
What an excellent swan song for the great Sidney Lumet. "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" works both as a tense and brilliantly structured thriller and a potent character drama, while testifying once again to Lumet's directorial masterfulness. The script is tight and smartly written and the performances superb and nuanced -Hoffman, Hawke and Finney are all terrific. The tension is maintained throughout and the plot, because we feel the stakes are real, is never less than captivating.
Rated 21 Apr 2011
60
69th
Well directed and has an original story but is somehow quite forgettable. Less than the sum of its parts really.
Rated 24 May 2011
85
83rd
Great tense film done on a relatively small scale, which is not surprisingly considering Lumet's masterpiece 12 Angry Men. I was quite pleased to see some subtle humour present throughout the film and some not so subtle black humour which gave me a few belly laughs. That said this is smart and emotionally draining thriller with superb performances from all involved, including Marisa Tomei who I'm normally not a fan of.
Rated 08 Jun 2011
75
75th
Way more engaging than I expected it to be; it kind of comes out of nowhere. The nonlinear timeline is very enjoyable and the along with the editing it never becomes boring, although in some parts it is quite repetitive. Finney (the dad) almost killed it for me though. He was really distracting in every scene he was in, and not in a good way. And Marisa Tomei....nice.
Rated 10 Jun 2011
67
31st
The way the flashbacks were done added a level of confusion to the story that is this film's big drawback.The performances by Ethane Hawke and Philip Seymour Hoffman were top shelf and really made what is ultimately a weak film that much better.
Rated 01 Jul 2011
45
16th
I was sadly disappointed, considering this was Lumet's last feature. This is definitely a character-driven, seriously pessimistic film, and yet I felt detached from the characters. The time skipping especially annoyed me because it made the movie drag on, though I understand it was necessary to understand each person's POV. Overall good, but there was something missing.

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